FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a foot pedal unit 1 of a general vehicle. In some cases, an external object E such as a solid and bulky thing, for example, a can, a drinking container, a water bottle, etc. or a floor mat used in a vehicle may freely move while the vehicle is running and during an acceleration motion, sudden stop, veering, etc., may enter a clearance space 6 provided for an operation of the foot pedal unit 1 including a clutch, a brake, and an accelerator, that is, a space formed between a lower surface 4 of the foot pedal unit 1 and an indoor floor surface 5 of the vehicle.
According to research reports of the National Police Agency and the Road Traffic Safety Authority, in a physical situation such as an acceleration, sudden stop, veering, etc. when a vehicle is running, an external object such as a solid and bulky thing, for example, a can, a drinking container, a water bottle, etc., having a rod or cylindrical shape, or a floor mat used in a vehicle may enter a gap formed between the foot pedal unit, particularly a lower part of the brake, and an upper surface of the floor surface of a vehicle. In this case, even when a driver pushes the brake, the vehicle does not stop as intended so that uncontrollable and severe accidents may often occur. Regarding the clutch and accelerator, when a driver tries to push the clutch or accelerator to change the speed of a vehicle or accelerate to pass other vehicles on a highway or motorway, if an external object enters a space under a pedal, the intended acceleration is not obtained and the vehicle may be hit by a vehicle behind.
A vehicle may perform a sudden start, sudden stop, sudden veering, ascending, descending, etc. according to road conditions or unexpected situations. In this state, when an external object used or provided in a vehicle enters a clearance space provided for the operation of a foot pedal unit and then a driver, who is not aware of this situation, pushes a pedal to accelerate or stop the vehicle according to a driving situation, the pedal does not work, and thus, the vehicle enters an uncontrollable state and a rear-end collision or other collisions may occur.
Recently, foot pedal unit accidents due to the insertion of an external object have been reported by many broadcasting companies in prime time news.
As an example of a conventional technology, Korean Patent Publication No. 2007-0067658 (2007.6.28) discloses an object prevention device main body 60 that is provided at a lower side of a pedal 3. However, an external object may enter a space under a pedal arm 2 by passing around the rear side of the object prevention device main body 60, and thus, the object is trapped by the object prevention device main body 60, which may be more dangerous than a case when no object prevention device main body 60 is used. Thus, since accidents may be insufficiently prevented and installation of products is not easy, the conventional technology is not widely employed, although it is one of the necessary safety devices for a driver.